New method reveals hidden exoplanets in James Webb telescope images

Researchers in the US have developed a method using a "digital twin" of the James Webb Space Telescope to remove starlight from images so precisely that previously hidden or invisible exoplanets become visible. The California Institute of Technology announced the breakthrough. The technique, called FLIP, combines a physical model of the NIRCam near-infrared camera with machine learning optimization. It models remaining telescope instabilities, boosting sensitivity for known planets by 2 to 15 times compared to standard methods. The team plans to adapt FLIP for other observatories, including the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. It could aid in imaging Earth-like exoplanets, a key goal of the planned Habitable Worlds Observatory, and is published in Nature.